This invention relates to a speech processing system for use in processing a speech and to a device therefor.
Recently, international conferences have often been held with participants attending them from various countries. In the international conferences, it is of great importance to promote a mutual understanding among the participants. However, it frequently happens that a part of the participants can speak languages designated for the conferences and the remaining participants can not speak the designated languages. Under the circumstances, the remaining participants can not accurately and clearly understand the speech and can not respond thereto.
It is mentioned here that written words or sentences can often be understood even by the participants who can not speak the designated languages. Therefore, proceedings or procedures can be expedited in the conferences if each speech of speakers can instantaneously be displayed in the form of written words or sentences. Moreover, a mutual understanding can considerably be promoted among the participants if a record of the proceedings can be gotten simultaneously with completion of the conference.
Consideration might be made about the use of so-called conventional speech recognition devices so as to convert each speech of speakers into words or sentences. However, all of the conventional recognition devices can recognize only specific words spoken by a specific speaker or speakers. Anyway, it is very difficult to recognize a great number of words spoken by unspecified persons for the time being.